Blame It on the Rain
by Mousebird
Summary: Tetsu hates doing laundry, and Saizo is smug. A short, oneshot gen fic.


Tetsu's wild red hair blew about in the wind, catching in his mouth and obscuring his eyes. A storm had been brewing all night. The whistling of the wind and the scraping of the branches against the wooden roof of the Shinsengumi headquarters had been intermittent but persistent.

The chickens had been pawing impatiently when Tetsu had finally made his way to their fenced-in portion of the yard. Now, slightly bruised and scraped by the mad dash of the nervous hens, he was struggling to pull the laundry off the clothesline before the downpour actually started.

Tetsu pulled yet another sky-blue haori off the line and shoved it quickly into the clothes basket lying at his feet. He shivered as he felt the first few drops of rain touch his outstretched hands. He started yanking harder on the clothes and not bothering with the scattering clothespins.

"Ganbattane, Tetsu-kun!" a grinning Souji called from the porch, cupping one hand around his mouth and waving with the other.

Tetsu turned suddenly, startled in mid-yank, to see Souji perched on the edge of the porch, geta swinging. Saizo looked irate and impatient on the ground in front of his master.

Momentarily distracted, Tetsu felt the wind whip away the edge of the gray kimono clutched loosely in his fingers. As Saizo launched himself into Souji's lap in protest, Tetsu turned to see the wayward folds of cloth flap into the face of the approaching Harada. "K'sa!" Tetsu wailed. He cringed, trying to hide behind the fluttering edges of a haori.

"What the hell!?" a muffled voice demanded as the kimono was wrenched away and the distinctive scarred face of the tenth commander of the Shinsengumi appeared. The tenth unit, which had been dispersing behind him, snickered as they scurried for cover. "Watch what you're doing, puppy!" Sanosuke growled and looked down at the kimono. "Oi, Shinpachi, isn't this yours? The hem's all messed up 'cause you're so short!"

Shinpachi dashed out again from the edge of the porch and snatched the item of clothing from Sanosuke. "Gimme that!" He turned to see Tetsu yanking the last piece of clothes off the line. "Better hurry up, puppy-chan! It's really coming down now!" Sano and Shinpachi both dashed for cover.

"Wakatta!!" Tetsu yelled back, and tripped on the trailing edge of a hakama that hadn't quite made it into the basket. The basket and the clothes went flying; miraculously, most of them landed on the porch. Tetsu, however, landed face first in a puddle of mud, hakama still firmly crushed under his zori. "Mou!" Tetsu gasped, tore himself free of the hakama, shoved most of the clothes back into the basket, and ran for the kitchen, where he hoped Ayu-nee would help him salvage as much of the laundry as possible.

Okita smiled indulgently and petted a glaring Saizo, who insisted on grunting irritably at the red-headed page's retreating back. Tetsu-kun could always be counted on for an entertaining distraction, especially when Hijikata-san was wreathed in smoke and surrounded by imposing piles of paperwork.

"Souuuji! Get in here! Ayu-nee says we can't eat till you get here!" Shinpachi's head appeared around the corner at the entrance to the dining hall.

Okita waved. "I'm just coming," he called as he carefully stood up, allowing the squirming Saizo to wriggle free. Souji's long hair stuck and clung to his damp shoulders and arms. The rain pounded fiercely on the porch's roof and drummed relentlessly on the grounds, and the first captain made his unhurried but purposeful way toward the dining hall.

Inside, the dining hall was full of restless, hungry samurai shuffling and passing dishes up and down the tables. Shinpachi and Sanosuke were trying to outdo each other in their compliments to Ayu-nee. She smiled at them indulgently, knowing that their words were sincere even when they were being competitive.

Souji quietly took his seat and started filling his plate. He glanced around quickly and confirmed his suspicions. Hijikata must still be holed up in his room working. Tetsu was looking flushed and somewhat bedraggled in his drenched clothes, but he seemed cheerful as he fought with Sano over the last of the miso soup.

Souji finished his rice and began refilling his bowl. When Hijikata was this engrossed, he often forgot to eat, and Tetsu looked like he had more than enough on his hands already. After watching the antics for a bit longer, and provoking some of them, Souji slipped out of the room, full rice bowl in hand.

He coughed as he walked back along the porch toward Hijikata's room. _No, no. Enough of that._ Cough. Souji paused to clear his throat. When three minutes had passed and the coughing hadn't returned, Souji continued forward and tapped lightly on the screen outside Toshi's room.

No answer. Souji swung his hair back off his shoulders and wished he'd bound it again when he'd woken up. Souji knocked more firmly. Perhaps Toshi was asleep.

This time, though, he heard the soft but firm tread of Hijikata's feet across the floor. The shoji slid open abruptly. The tall vice commander was looming in the doorway, backlit by the single candle flickering at his desk. There was a brief pause as shadowy eyes scanned the porch. "Souji! What are you doing out in the rain?! Get in here." Toshi frowned in disapproval and stepped back to wave Souji into the room.

Souji smiled softly and carefully placed the bowl of rice on top of the scattered papers on Hijikata's desk. "Dinner," he announced simply.

Hijikata stared at the ring of dampness that was emanating from the bowl before snapping out of his startled daze and snatching the bowl off of the stack. His frown deepened. "Souji, you shouldn't be out in this weather. You know that." Toshi's fingers twitched as he restrained himself from drying off the man standing before him. Instead, he scooped up the chopsticks and placed a portion of the cold rice in his mouth, thereby preventing himself from hovering any more than he already was.

Souji's smile became a bit stiff. "Hijikata-san should take better care of his own health." He walked over to the closet along the far wall and pulled out a towel.

The vice commander's eyes met and held Okita's. After a short battle of wills, Hijikata relented. "Hmmm. Fine, but Heisuke's on patrol tonight. I need you tomorrow in the merchant district. It seems that armed ronin have been intimidating some of the shopkeepers."

Souji's eyes narrowed. The first unit had been assigned night duty for the week, and the downpour had been merciless for the past couple of nights. Ah, well. His men would appreciate the reprieve, and it would give him a chance to check out the new shipment of sweets. "Wakarimashta," Souji answered calmly as he toweled off his hair and sat down on the tatami mats.

Hijikata was almost done eating the rice when a thought occurred to him. "Where's Ichimura?" he asked sharply. After all, his page should be bringing him dinner, not Souji.

"Ah, I think he's folding the laundry," Souji answered, the corners of his mouth tugging upward. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"That's all very well, but he should have finished that hours ago! And where's my tea?" A determined thumping at the door made both men stiffen. Okita's eyes flew open, and they both placed their hands on their hilts. Okita slid fluidly to his feet and melted into the shadows next to the door. Hijikata rose swiftly and made his way directly to the door.

Outside, a very irate Saizo darted into the room, treading on Hijikata's bare feet on his way by. The vice commander growled and stared carefully into the night, making sure nobody else was lying in wait. "Not Ichimura, then!" The shoji slammed shut with a bang, and Toshi turned around to face a rather disgruntled piglet playing tug-of-war with an amused Souji. "What the hell did it drag in with it?!"

Okita smiled in bemusement. "Ano, maybe a headband?" He'd finally wrestled the muddy mess out of Saizo's reluctant clutches, and he was examining it critically in the faint light.

"Give me that!" Toshi snatched it. "Oh, oh no. I'm going to KILL HIM!! My favorite pair! My favorite fucking pair of tabi! That useless boy is going to be chopping wood for WEEKS!" Hijikata rose and stormed out of the room before Okita could stop him.

"Ooooh, you've been a bad pig, haven't you, Saizo? You mustn't provoke the vice commander, you know. And look what trouble you've gotten poor Tetsu-kun in!" Saizo looked smug. Souji sighed and smiled indulgently, rubbing the piglet down with Hijikata's towel. "Whatever would I do without you?"

He could hear banging shoji, thumping feet, and the loud and frightened protestations of a certain red-headed page as he pulled out some fresh sheets of paper and dipped the abandoned brush in the ink well. "Now, what shall we draw first?" Souji asked the pink snout rooting around in the bedding.


End file.
